Lovecraft Country

Letitia Dandridge plays an important role in the novel, illustrating the ways in which a defiant person can challenge the racist attitudes of society. Letitia inherits a large sum of money from one of her father’s old gambling debts. She uses the money to buy a home in a white neighborhood, even though she knows that this will be a difficult process. Not only will purchasing the Winthrop House involve a great deal of difficult administrative work, but she will also make herself a target for white neighbors who do not want Black people to live in their neighborhood. Letitia refuses to backdown from this challenge. She asserts her right to live in the house at all times, whether she is pointing a gun at white people who break into her home or dealing a hand of poker to an unwelcoming ghost. Letitia defies her neighbors, Winthrop’s ghost, and society itself in the pursuit of racial equality.

Letitia’s journey is informed by her relationship with her father. Letitia’s father was a professional gambler who was killed in a chance encounter with an off-duty policeman. The randomness and the racist nature of her father’s death teaches her to embrace her own identity and live her life to its fullest potential. Letitia knows that she could be killed at any moment by the racist society in which she lives, so she challenges rules and expectations at every opportunity. Her purchase of the Winthrop House, her battle against the Order, and her friendship with Atticus are all examples of the ways in which she refuses to back down from a challenge. Letitia is a determined, confident African American woman who refuses to adhere to society’s expectations.

Caleb Braithwhite is one of the most powerful characters in Lovecraft Country and the embodiment of unearned privilege. Caleb is young, White, and handsome. He was born into a wealthy family as the son of a powerful magician, providing him with access to knowledge and resources which most of the world cannot even begin to comprehend. Between his racial identity, his access to magic, and his vast fortune, he does not have to fear anything. He is able to kill his father and brag about the murder in front of the Chicago police chief while African American characters must fear for their lives every time a traffic cop pulls them over.

While the African American characters all demonstrate the struggles of living in the United States in the 1950s while not being White, Caleb is so privileged that he considers himself to be an enlightened, forward thinking advocate of race relations. Caleb confidently tells Montrose that he refuses to use racial slurs, while still benefiting from the racist hierarchies and institutional biases which favor rich white men. Caleb is so privileged that he can no longer even recognize his own advantages. He does nothing to challenge racism while boasting loudly about his empty gestures.

The ultimate irony of Caleb is that he views himself as a visionary and a modernizer, but he eventually follows exactly in the footsteps of every other Braithwhite. Titus and Samuel become so consumed by their pursuit of higher knowledge that they underestimate African Americans and die as a result. Atticus interrupts Samuel’s spell while his ancestor burns down Titus’s house. For all of Caleb’s proclamations about ushering in a new era for the Order, he makes the exact same mistakes which define his family. He underestimates Atticus and other African Americans and has his powers removed as a result. Caleb’s fate is not to die, but to have his privileges stripped away. Even then, he only loses his magical powers. He remains a young, rich white man in 1950s America, but he views his downfall as final. Caleb is so blinded to his privileged that he thinks he has lost, even though he remains one of the most privileged people in America. 

Montrose Turner is the most radical and most forceful opponent of racism among the African American characters. Whereas characters such as George or Atticus attempt to navigate the racist society as best they can, Montrose vehemently challenges racism wherever he finds it. This approach includes seeking out the racist elements of society which he knows to exist, but which may be hidden from view. When young Atticus begins to read Lovecraft novels, for example, Montrose researches the author and discovers the racist poetry written by H.P. Lovecraft. Montrose actively seeks out the information which justifies his forceful views, reflecting the ubiquitous nature of racism in the contemporary society.

The strength of Montrose’s convictions comes from his own tragic experiences. His father died during the destruction of African American neighborhoods in Tulsa in 1921. Montrose witnessed his father’s death at the hands of an angry white mob, and he has never forgiven society since then. Furthermore, he has never forgiven himself. He blames the racist society for its violence, and he blames himself for not listening to his father at the time. The pain and the trauma of this experience make Montrose more desperate in his approach. He wants to warn society of the dangers and the prevalence of racism, but he lacks the social skills and the vocabulary to express his pain, his fear, and his frustration.

Montrose interprets his heritage as a debt. He survives while his father did not, so he believes that he owes it to his ancestors to continue to survive. He embraces the Berry family history and Adah’s book because he empathizes with her pain and suffering. However, Montrose struggles to explain this empathy to others. The strength of his emotion overcomes him, and he cannot convince Atticus about his worldview. The strength of Montrose’s conviction defines him as a person but undermines his relationship with his family. His trauma and his fear seem corrosive and aggressive to his family members such as George or Atticus, while Montrose’s refusal to back down or justify his existence to white society carries over to an inability to back down or hold a conversation with his son. Montrose comes to understand the shared pain of the world. His experience talking with the ghost of Henry Winthrop provides him with an example of a forceful, determined man who tried and failed to protect his family. The experience equips Montrose with an emotional understanding of family issues and shows him that he is not alone. Montrose does not fully repair his relationship with his son, but he does begin to do so. 

Ruby wants to succeed on her own terms. She rejects hand-outs and unearned success because she is a proud woman. She is fired unfairly from her job, showing why her determination is so profound. In a world which treats her unfairly, she refuses to backdown and accept a diminished place in the world.

Her experience as Hillary shows her a different world. By living as a white woman, ruby experiences life with a burden lifted from her. Easy things like catching a taxi are made easier while interactions with employers or police officers are completely different. Ruby’s experience shows her that her determination is not unfounded, but life as Hillary becomes an addiction. The woman who struggled and fought every day in her life embraces the easiness of whiteness, even if it means compromising on her morals.

Ruby struggles with this decision for several reasons. Not only does it mean compromise, but also the manufacture of the potion is immoral. That Ruby never completely answers Caleb’s question shows that she has doubts about her future, but her willingness to turn on Caleb shows that she retains her morality even in the face of great temptation. Ruby gives up Hillary for the greater good.